Thai actress Natt Chanapa (a/k/a: Kesarin Chaichalermpol, Natt Kesarin, or simply Nong Natt by locals) who is accused of performing in a hard-core pornographic film revealed yesterday that modelling and advertising companies, magazines and television programmes had been offering her six-digit sums for modelling work since the accusation made media headlines.

The actress made the revelation after she sought help from the Law Society of Thailand for legal support regarding the police accusation. It is against Thai law to perform in pornographic films.

The deputy commander of the registration division, Colonel Wisut Wanibutr, who had accused her of acting in a hard-core film with a Japanese man, said that he had only carried out his duty and had not forced the actress to turn herself in to police.

"Many people believe that what I have done was wrong. That is up to them. I issued the summons. She has the right to come or not," Wisut said.

Wisut had earlier transferred her case to the Crime Suppression Division after the actress refused to meet him regarding the case.

Law Society of Thailand human-rights attorney Nakhon Chatichompu said the Chanapa should not have given interviews to the media, because those statements could be used against her in court.

For instance, he said, the actress told a television programme host that she "was not willing to act" in the film. "In a legal interpretation, this might portray her as having some intent to act. If she had used the words 'I was forced' there would be less impact on her case," he said.

"If they are found guilty, they will be liable to a jail term, but they may settle out of court," he said.

Not unlike the Anara Gupta sex video scandal in India where a former beauty queen is accused of appearing in a pornography video, the Natt Chanapa scandal in Thailand is also proving to be an enduring and ongoing saga for the Thai starlet.

Such hardcore pornography is technically illegal in Thailand and the actress could face a possible jail term. However the summons that was issued in July of last year and that is being reiterated this week by Thailand's Crime Suppression Division, simply asks that the actress appear to answer questions regarding the ongoing investigation. It does not compel or require her to appear and thus far Chanapa has chosen not to meet with police.

Indeed meeting with police may only add to her woes as any questions she answers or statements she makes are likely to incriminate her more and possibly lead to her prosecution. The actress sought legal assistance last year when the case broke from The Law Society of Thailand, which advised that an earlier statement she made, in which she said she was 'not willing' to act in the movie, to press could be used against to her and that she should remain silent on the issue.

This reporter was surprised to learn that with the media and police attention Ms Chanapa gained as a result of the investigation that she became instantly popular and was offered large sums for mainstream acting and modeling jobs. In addition, and far more striking, was the widespread mainstream interest in the video itself. It would seem that if there were only ten copies of the illicit VCD in Thailand before the story broke, that by the following day millions of copies were changing hands throughout Thailand.

But most fascinating about this development was that the heavy circulation of the video was not limited to the back alley pirate VCD shops of Patpong. Instead the video made it into the homes and businesses of middle-class Thailand. Hotel employees from major resorts told ASG that the video was being sold amongst the staff for 20 baht each (about $.50 USD), and employees were snapping them up.

Days later a friend of this writer related a story where he went to co-worker's home and found the all female staff of a major five-star spa had gathered for a special 'porn night' screening of the Chanapa video.

It would seem that the government's effort to suppress the illicit material only served to fan the flames of popularity of Ms Chanapa and the video itself, taking the underground video from the shadowy black market and thrusting it into mainstream pop culture.